RaniJuli

Francesca Bianchi's fragrances were (and are) for me the ticket to a new world.

A year ago, in the middle of a dreary Corona autumn, I ordered a Discovery set by a happy impulse...and was never quite the same after the first sniff of these olfactory masterpieces.
Sounds pathetic? :) Maybe! But Francescas fragrances trigger now just that in me - great emotions.

I call her, which of course I have never met in my life, "Francesca" as if we were good acquaintances. Because her creations awaken in me the feeling that behind it is a person who shares my view of the world and who at the same time can still teach me a lot in this regard.

Who deals with the dark sides of life, even welcomes them and celebrates life at the same time with a lot of dedication.
Which is not afraid to show itself deeply human - and just thereby radiates an incredible strength.
Who takes pleasure in sharpening her intellect and considers sensuality an essential part of life.
Who does not confuse vulnerability with weakness.
Who is looking for experiences that do not remain on the surface but go under the skin. Under my Skin...

"Under my Skin" is the most sincere fragrance I have ever smelled.
Sincerely human.

It doesn't smell like a perfume to me, it smells like a beloved body. Both one's own and that of another person.
He radiates sensuality, but not in the sense of brute eroticism - but in the sense of a moment full of peace and intimacy. Alone or in pairs.
A moment in which the world around you does not exist and you feel safe enough to discard all masks.
The quiet lying next to each other afterwards.
The tender feeling into one's own body.
The acceptance that this body has flaws and certainly does not correspond in all points to the ideals of a permanently self-optimizing society. That he looks different, feels and smells just different.
Warm, familiar,

This small olfactory masterpiece reminds me in its complexity a concert where you sit back and enjoy the goosebumps moments that arise from the interplay of different voices and instruments.

In the case of "Under my Skin", I would say that the central "instrument" is the animalic, which arises from a combination of castoreum and iris butter, and is softened by lavender, honey, Peru and Tolu balsam. Rarely have deeply erotic and softly clean notes complemented each other so beautifully for my nose.

The durability of this extract is absolutely unbeatable on my skin.
When I apply the fragrance to my pulse points in the morning, I can still smell it very clearly late in the evening. And when I spray it in the evening, it accompanies me into a night full of promise. Promises of experiences that really touch you in every sense of the word. That go under the skin.

Under my Skin.

Actually, I expected something completely different when testing this fragrance - namely a dry sandalwood fragrance with a spicy note. Adult, sophisticated - just Guerlain.
Because of the name "Santal Royal" may forgive me this initial error ;)

What then blew me after the first spray from my wrist against, was now anything but dry and minimalist-sophisticated. It was opulent, dark and sweet. It let the neon-lit perfumery shelves around me sink into the hot sand of an Arabian desert...

Forgive me this little original association - but in my mental perfume library "Santal Royal" opens the thick, gold embossed and leather-bound book with the beloved fairy tales from 1001 nights. It is the genie from "Aladdin and the magic lamp" who grants wishes and can take us to faraway lands or dream worlds in the duration of the blink of an eye. For example, to the fictional desert city of Agrabah...

Here, in the narrow alleys between the outwardly defiant-looking houses, I open my eyes after a deep pleasurable shake of "Santal Royal".
It is already dawning, the heat of the day has subsided, the houses left and right still radiate something of the merciless temperatures of the previous day. Nevertheless, doors are now opening everywhere - the residents of the houses venture back into the open air to buy last ingredients for the upcoming dinner or to smoke a water pipe in the tea room around the corner.

From one of the doors steps a tall woman and beckons me closer.
She beckons me to come in, inside the house...for I am recognizable at first glance as a stranger, and in her eyes that makes me a guest who should never be left to wander into the night uninvited and without a roof over his head.

Behind the low door of dark wood opens its own little world.
The house has several floors, all with circumferential galleries open to a beautiful courtyard. It forms the heart of the house. Tiled with mosaic tiles in shades of blue and green, which increase the impression of coolness inside the house and contrast beautifully with the clay-red walls and the cascades of purple flowers climbing up them. Low daybeds made of old heavy wood with intricate carvings and comfortable cushions invite you to rest. A fountain gurgles softly in the center of the courtyard.

On a low table in front of one of the daybeds stands a large silver bowl with powdered sugar-dusted Lokum - the jelly-like sweet, which is to be bought here in many bazaars, and which is refined with rose water and with nuts. From somewhere now also the promising smell of freshly roasted mocha blows in and mixes with the fruity tobacco of a water pipe, which smolders on one of the upper galleries.

I feel incredibly comfortable and take another deep breath: The deep dark smell of eagle wood, the sweet rose scent of candy, the hint of mocha and of freshly lit peach tobacco. In addition, a diffuse scent as of warm milk with honey and cinnamon, which conveys security and seems to say, "Come to rest - you are here, for this night, at home!"

So I am almost a bit disappointed when I open my eyes again and find myself in the home perfumery. But also only "almost".
Because although it is "Santal Royal" for my nose not a sandal but rather a lush rose / oud fragrance, I am in love. This is probably due in part to the said and elusive note, which I can only compare with an impression of warm milk and gives the fragrance something incredibly cuddly, which complements perfectly with the otherwise dominant dark sensuality.
Durability and sillage of the fragrance are also fantastic.
8 hours I perceive the fragrance around me, in the first 3 hours it is also noticeable to others - so far exclusively positive.

"Santal Royal" accompanied me namely that day still home - and promises to take me still on many dream trips to Agrabah.

"J'ose" is a phenomenon for me.

I met him a few days ago, when I entered a perfumery with the vague search criteria "unisex, unusual, suitable for everyday use".
What was hiding behind these blurry key points, however, was much more complex: Actually, I was looking for a fragrance that makes courage. The kind of courage that helps you make unconventional decisions. And yes, I believe that a fragrance can help you do that. Because he reminds you throughout the day every now and then quietly that you have given yourself a promise.

Usually I browse in perfumeries rather alone, because I can then quietly trace what a fragrance triggers in me. But on this day, a consultant greeted me so nicely and unobtrusively that I gave her my almost hopelessly superficial criteria. She - an older woman with very short blond hair, eye-catching glasses, and a sympathetic, ironic smile - eyed me briefly and led me to the shelf of Eisenberg Paris fragrances. A house that I had not known at all until then. She picked up a simple bottle, which somehow seemed elegant because of its minimalist design - and said: "One of my favorites. J'ose - that means: I dare!"

Our eyes met very briefly before I sniffed the strip of paper she held out to me. A wonderful scent. Fresh yet warm, unusual, light, complex - and somehow familiar.

Objectively speaking - if you can say that about fragrances at all - J'ose is certainly not a "WOW" fragrance that screams loudly for attention or catapults you mentally into a certain situation. But it has an oscillating charisma that is anything but ordinary while being firmly anchored in the present. Probably this dazzling effect comes from an unusual combination of fragrance notes: mint and mocha, lavender and vanilla, warm amber and cool moss. I was fascinated.

Unfortunately, the scent did not last very long on my skin: after about 4 hours, I smelled it only very lightly. On my favorite cashmere scarf, which the sympathetic saleswoman had generously sprayed, he made it but cozy. And so for days, a whiff of "J'ose" rises again and again in my nose.

And this breath then whispers audibly: "Come on, you promised yourself: Dare something!"

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Addendum:
Following the tip of a friend, I found a great layering combination that significantly extends the shelf life of "J'ose" and even gives the fragrance on my skin an additional, very pleasant facet.
From now on, I spray on "Molecule 02" as a base before the great daring companion from Eisenberg Paris comes into play. So he accompanies me over at least 6 hours well perceptible, then another 2 as warm-cuddly Skinscent.

What a fragrance!

The first time I smelled it was on a trip. In a Baltic capital, surrounded by beautiful Art Nouveau buildings, just before dusk. The whole atmosphere invited you to dream yourself into another time...
If you thought away the street signs and occasional advertising posters, the scenery could have been in the late 19th century.

And that's exactly where Moonlight Patchouli transports me.
In a sophisticated metropolis at the time of the Belle Epoque. Elegant boulevards, which are bathed in warm light from gas lanterns, which were very modern at the time.
The rattling sound of horse-drawn carriages taking passengers in expensive evening dress to theater performances or opera evenings.
The ladies in shimmering silk dresses with slim corset waists; on their heads, sophisticated hats; in their small handbags, an ivory or mother-of-pearl fan for the upcoming evening indoors.
Arriving at their destination, the gallant companions help them get out, because the laced shoes with heels and leather soles offer little support.

In the foyer of the opera building, an entering couple is greeted by a loud babble of voices and warm candlelight, refracted in floor-to-ceiling mirrors and lush gilding.

Within no time, a glass of champagne has been placed in the hands of the two new arrivals. The young woman's gaze seeks the large double door at the far end of the spacious foyer - it stands open, behind which one sees a moonlit courtyard with beautiful rose arrangements.
Unobtrusively, she guides her partner through the large room, greeting acquaintances here and there, until they arrive at the door. A cool refreshing breeze blows in, bringing with it the smell of lush dark roses and smoldering pipe tobacco. An elderly gentleman, a senior military man by the look of his uniform, has taken refuge from the buzz of voices and the heat of the room into the quiet of the courtyard. The scent of his pipe mingles with the smell of fine suede gloves and that of elegant wooden parquet, which is regularly maintained with beeswax.
The mood in the room tingles like the cool champagne in the glasses: Tonight, a celebrated singer is performing in a new role, and scandalous things have been heard about her...

In this little microcosm "Moonlight Patchouli" transports me.
The finest suede, dark rose and woody undertones create a fragrance impression that is one of the most elegant I have smelled so far.
And all this combined with a beautiful sillage and a longevity of at least 7 hours.

My new favorite for the fall!

"Cuirs" by Carner was actually love at first sniff for me!

I had previously sniffed me a bit through the Carner portfolio. Latin Lover left me completely cold (despite the hot name). The highly praised Tardes I liked in principle very well, but reminded me too much of my beloved almond skin care series of L'Occitane, as that I would have considered investing in an additional perfume. And with Rima XI, I vacillated between fascinated always-again sniffing and know-me-from-the-high-quality-drugstore-segment.

And then - when I Carner Barcelona for me had already almost put ad acta - the encounter with "Cuirs".
In advance I must say: it is for my nose and despite the many listed notes not a very complex fragrance. I perceive little "depth" over the entire course, but a very pleasant warmth. And: "Cuirs" has simply a tremendous presence!

I would absolutely confirm the similarity with "Black Afghano"!
Although this Carner composition is perhaps not quite as finely composed and tuned as Nasomatto's olfactory Nulklear explosion I like him better for everyday life...because he accompanies me more quietly and yet noticeably.

But now to the fragrance itself:

As I said - "Cuirs"' strength lies for me not in the area of high complexity or refined composition. The scent progression is relatively linear on my skin. I perceive from the beginning a very present oud note, a lot of spices - and a (pleasant!) Cannabis note.

This melange has for me virtually a teleporting effect: I suddenly find myself in the middle of the bazaar - or more correctly: the huge and widely ramified souk - of Marrakech. One of my favorite travel places...
I see myself strolling through the narrow streets with their 1000 tiny stores, which haggle all sorts of colorful & glittering. From the finest leatherwork, beautifully chased lamps and shiny silver teapots, syrup-dripping sweets with nuts and dried fruits - to herbs, dried flowers and oils, which (together with a bit of well-dosed magic) should help against all ills of the world.
The scents of all these stores mingle with the spicy smoke of the barbecue fires lit in the nearby main square - Djemaa el Fna - every evening...and with the equally smoky notes wafting down the narrow alley from the cozy rooftop terrace of a backpacker hostel.

I smell this mixture - and feel for a precious moment at the same time secure and free!

Aren't we all scent-crazy for this very reason?
Because nothing puts you in a certain place or mood as immediately as a forgotten fragrance memory?
Thank you, Carner Barcelona - for this beautiful little everyday escape with "Cuirs"!